Rise and Fall of Kaligem
Over 1000 years ago the spires of the great capital of the Southern Empire rose into the plains air like a second Rakath Mountain range. Gold glistened from the tall towers, and it was said that wealth rained on those residing in Kaligem. The city, and its surrounding empire ruled the great southern grasslands of the continent. Controlling the vast supply of fresh water lakes and ancient forests within its borders . The continent was very different in those days. It was not as cold in Mitgardia, Avalonia was full of a fairy folk rarely seen today, and no great desert stretched at any place on the continent. There came a time, at the height of their power that the great Sultans of Kaligem were closing in on completing the last land conquests upon the continent. They even began a more central city, Cedrica, in order to consolidate their holdings and centrally rule the continent. The idea was to spread the wealth of Kaligem throughout the whole world, even if that meant through force. The Sultans were not generally greedy, but it was their custom to outdo their father or predecessor in terms of conquest, wealth, and charity. So at the tip of their power, they ruled almost all of the present continent. The last holdout was that of a dark wizard and his undying army in the East. The Sultan Satani b'Rack Ji'Fall of the House Satani , decided to make a final push on the Darkland Bastion known as Everlast. It was not to be. In the coldest months of winter Kaligem forces arrived at the 100 foot walls of Everlast. It is said that during the first winter of that siege the great wolves of the darklands dined on over 1000 soldiers. Meanwhile, back in the great city came turmoil. Ji'Fall's son Santani Ar'Mani Ji'Teel had decided that change would come to the Kaligem. Kaligem was a place of his father, and his father's father. He was sure that being the next in line to inherit such a vast empire that Cedrica would make a greater home. However, the wealth was not in that fledgling city, it was in Kaligem. So as father froze against the walls of Everlast, caravans of jewels and gold flowed out of Kaligem and to Cedrica. It was at this time that the first great walls of what would later be nicknamed the "central fortress" were constructed in Cedrica. It was said that Ji'Teel began to construct his palace out of raw gold, taken from Kaligem. It was to be the most magnificent building in the world. The second year of the siege of Everlast went worse than the first winter. The Dark Wizard's forces sallied forth and broke the siege temporarily. Ji'Fall was forced to regroup in the Rakath Mountains for two months. At this time the Dark Wizard escaped. It is said that the wizard took the form of a Kaligem advisor, and took to the court of the younger Ji'Teel. As the treasure of Kaligem trickled farther away from its armies and its heart, and into the new city, the people of Kaligem started to cry out to their leader in protest. Meanwhile, the Dark Wizard posing as Mizou the advisor convinced Ji'Teel that he needed even more treasure to complete his palace at Cedrica. However, Ji'Teel had already emptied the coffers of Kaligem, and the only large source of treasure left in the city was within the temple of Bonash. Bonash , the deity of Kaligem, the patron of the city, and the only deity with a major temple within the original borders of the Southern Empire, was the god of three things - wealth, trade, and sand. (Sand was originally associated with wealth, because weights were made with sandbags, and one would need these weights to accurately measure quantities of gold and trade.) For nearly a thousand years the Sultans had held a feast in the early spring where every Kaligem citizen was required to give wealth back to Bonash. So it was no surprise that the vast basement store pit in the temple held riches to rival the city's official coffers. Mizou convinced Ji'Teel to empty this pit, telling him that let superstitions stay with this past city, Cedrica has no place for imaginary deities. So Ji'Teel did so. As the caravans left the city, Mizou dissapeared from the records and it had been reported that the Dark Wizard had returned to Everlast. Ji'Fall's army was upon the walls of the black city again, but this time they were prepared. Siege equipment scaled some of the outworks, and slowly the city began to fall. It was at that point that Bonash appeared to the Dark Wizard. Not knowing that Mizou and the Dark Wizard were one in the same, Bonash sought out the greatest enemy of Kaligem to help instill his revenge on the ungrateful city. Bonash proposed that he instantly transport the entire undying army to the gates of Kaligem to wreak havoc on the city. The Dark Wizard knew it was a dangerous game to play along with a spurned god, but he also wanted to save Everlast, so he agreed. It was about this time that missives were arriving to Ja'Fall outside the gates of Everlast. Ja'Fall knowing how important Bonash yelled at the messenger -"Go double-quick back to Kaligem and tell every resident to give twice this year's offering to the temple! start with this!" As he plucked the golden crown of Kaliphlin off his head and put it into the messenger's arms. "We must appease Bonash." It was five days later that the city of Everlast was eerily quiet. The first morning assault found no resistance, and soon the Kaligem army was riding within the walls of the city. Immediately Sultan Santani knew what had happened. He ordered 100 men to stay behind and fortify the city, and he began the long march home. Bonash knew of this long march, and anticipated the Sultan's return. He decided to rain something else upon the armies and citizens of Kaligem; sand. A large sand storm hit the army on its first day, so out of place and massive that the army could not tell its direction. On the third day of the march they ran right back into the walls of Everlast. Meanwhile the undying army was inside Kaligem. Ja'Teel attempted to lead the town guard against the oncoming army but he was slain on the third day of the invasion. On the fifth day of the invasion the messenger from the sultan arrived. He instructed the citizens of their King's orders, many believing that the assault was the resault of pillaging the temple found their way through the war zone to the temple to donate. Many of the peasents were slain on the temple steps, and the giant treasure pit filled with gold and the blood of Kaligem. The citizens of Kaligem fought on in their homes, in the streets, and in their fortresses drawing the Dark Wizard to a stalemate for over a month. Meanwhile the Sultan and his army fought through sand storm after sandstorm to get back to Kaligem. It is said they circled the city so much in their attempt to find home that great deserts appeared within the realm. Finally, the Sultan made it within miles of home. The Dark Wizard, knowing the great Kaligem army would be upon him soon, took the form of Mizou once more in order to convince the citizens to take back their money from the temple in hopes that it would anger Bonash enough to finally smite the Kaligem army. However, Bonash was in his temple that day. He liked the gold and blood given to him as a sacrifice, and he was thinking about banishing the undying army and sparing the city. He saw Mizou for who he really was, the Dark Wizard. The two were locked into combat at that moment. Using magiks so vile against one another that they are unheard of since the duel took place. The sand let up, as Bonash used his powers to fight the great and powerful Dark Wizard, and the Sultan entered the city. His men began to turn back the undying army and it looked as Kaligem was to be saved. But at the moment Santani arrived at the temple two things were revealed. The Dark Wizard was actually the god Ashroth , lord of fire and coal. Second, it seemed that Ashroth was Bonash's better, as the wealth deity began to weaken. The Sultan wasted no time, he ran forward and plunged his sword into the side of Ashroth, and many of his top lieutenants followed him. The Sultan was the last to die, but he was conscious just long enough to see Bonash call down his greatest fury. A wall of sand came from the North, West, South and East, crashing over the city of Kaligem - higher than its highest spire - and into the temple. The four waves crushed Ashroth, killing him as he turned to glass. Unfortunately, Bonash, too weak to remove the sand buried himself deep in the depths of the now lost city. Very few survived the waves of sand, those who did knew never to incur the wrath of the gods again. A great treasure lay in the sands covering the temple of Kaligem, but no one that was there that day would dare try to retrieve it. A few wise families living outside of Cedrica heard the story and took over the naturally defendable plot of land. They melted down Ja'Teel's palace and used the money to create a great fortified city as the chaos of Kaligem falling spread like wildfire throughout the world. The continent broke, factions appeared and fought against one another, total chaos amongst the races broke out, and soon war was all the world knew for a thousand more years. Today, old women tell children the tale of Kaligem as a moral lesson, but many believe it is all truth. Some Kaliphlins still give offering to Bonash, in respect of his power and sacrifice to destroy Ashroth. Some cults look for the old lost city to dig up their deity and return him to the world. Others look for the city to find its riches. Still others will not enter the areas of the desert thought to contain the city. The family Santani is cursed still. Most of their decedents have long changed their name. No one wants associated with the foolish and greedy prince who brought upon the wrath of the immortal sand god. And of course, the desert still stretches across the entire south of the continent. Category:Kaliphlin Category:History